Tobacco-biter



L. E. ASHENFELTER.

TOBACCO BITER APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11. 19:9.

1,353,944. PatentedSept. 28,1920.

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L. E. ASHENFELTER.

TQBACCOBITER APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11. 1919.

Patented Sept. 2&1920.

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UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

LOYD ELDEN ASHENFELTER, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

TOBACGO-BITEB.

7 '0 all whom it may conccrn:

Be it known that I, LOYD E. AsHEN- FELTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Geor ia, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Tobacco-Biters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in .tobacco biters, and has for its ob ect to provide a device of the character specified for tobacco chewers use adapted to be connected with the plug, for severing when desired a piece of tobacco of suitable size for a chew. j

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front View of the improved biter in opened position;

Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front view, showing the biter closed;

.Figs. 4: and 5 are sections on the lines H and 55, respectively, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the cover plate of the blade with the impaling spike unfolded;

Fig. 7 is a similar view of the blade;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the body of the blank from which the body of'the biter is formed; and d Fig. 9 is a plan view of one of the blanks for the guide.

In the present embodiment ofthe invention, a suitable'body or frame s provided, cut or stamped from a blank of metal of suitable size. This blank shown in Fig. 8 consists of a body portion 1 of ellipt cal form and having a center elliptical opening 2, and the'body has wings 3 at its opposite side, the side wings being at approximately the center of the body. This blank is bent to form spaced approximately parallel" to the body. Both jaws 4 and 5 have their extremities curved outwardly, as shown at 6, to facilitate the insertion of the plug, and the opening 2 is so arranged that it will extend well into the jaw 4, and considerably farther than into the jaw 5.

The wings 3 are bent to form channelshaped guides, the said guides extend inwardly and facin each other, and the blade 7 shown in Fig. is arranged to move in these guides. his blade, as shown, is pro- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented S t 28 192() Application filed September 11, 1919. Serial No. 323,086.

vided with lugs 8 at its upper edge, three in the present instance, namely, a center and two lateral lugs, and with longitudinallyextending slots 9 near its side edges. The side edges 10 of the blade are bent out wardly, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 5, to lie in the same plane, and these outwardlybent edges engage channel-shaped guides ll, which are held in the guides 3, the said guides 11 serving as bushings, and also as extensions for the guides 3. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the guides 11 may extend well above the guides 3 'so that they will still support the blade, when the blade is entirely lifted above the guide 3. The blade, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5 is curved transversely, to cut a bite of suitable size from the plug, and pins 12 extending transversely of the guides 11 intermediate their ends, which engage the slots 9 to limit the movement of the blade in each direction with respect to the guides.

plate 13 is connected with the top of the blade for holding the same in proper position and for providing a finger piece for convenience in manipulating the blade and this plate has slots 14 for receiving the lugs 8 of the blade. The said lugs after passing through the slots are upset to hold to impale the plug, to lock the biter together duging/thetinie when not in use and wherrit is stored in the pocket of the user.

"Each of the wings 3 of the blank from which the body is formed is recessed longitudinally at its free edge, as shown at 16, and lugs 17 extending outwardly from the plane of the blade are provided at each end of these cutaway portions 16.

The guides 11 have laterally extending lugs 18 at that edge which will be adjacent to the cut-away portion 16 when the guides are in place and these lugs 18 move in the cut-away portions 16 between the lugs 17. The arrangement thus permits the guides 11 to telescope into the guides 3. The movement of the guides 11 is limited however by the engagement of the lug 18 with the lug 17.

operated.

. The ends of the jaws 4 and 5 are rounded,

as shown, and the opening 2 is soarrangcd with respect to the body 1 of the frame that it will extend Well beyond the cutting edge of the blade, thus permitting the user to observe through the opening the amount of tobacco that will be cut when the blade is In operation the plu'gis slipped between the jaws 4" and 5, the blade atthis time being in the position shown in Fig. 1, and afteriit is properly positioned, theplate 13 ispressed downwardly driving the blade through the -plug and the amount cut ofi" by the blade may be observed through the opening 2 from above the jaw 4 or from the front of the-cutter, if desired. The" spike"15 will impale the plug and will hold it. firmly during the cutting. After a chew hasbeen taken from the plug the parts are left in the positionshown in Fig. 3,'the biter being firmly-anchored to-th'e 'plug by the im aling j consisting of telescoping sections having a' limited'mov'eme'nt away from each other, a transversely'curved blade hav ng outwardly bent edges to engage w1th1n the guides, said blade andguid'e's having means for limiting theirmox' ement with-respect to each other, a

plate serving as afinger piece secured to the topof the blade and extending beyond the -blade away from the body of the plug rec'eivii'ig frame,said plate having a depend; 7

in-gspike for impaling the plug during and after the cutting. 1 2. A tobacco biter comprising a holder "for-the plug consisting of a frame having a body and laterally extending jaws for re ceiving the plug between them, the body beingopen to permit of inspection of the 'plug, said-body having at each side of the openlng a channel-shaped guide, each guide consisting of telescoping sections having a limited movement away from each other, a transversely'curved blade having outwardly "bent edges to engage within the guides, said blade and guides having means for limiting their'movement with respect to each other. a plate serving as'a finger piece secured to the top of the blade and extending beyond the "blade away from the body oftheplug receiving frame, said jaws having their extremities curved outwardly to facilitate the entrance of the plug.

8. A tobacco'biter comprising a holder for I the plug consisting of a frame having a body and laterally extending jaws for receiving the plug between them, the body being opento permit of-inspection of the plug, said body having at each .side of the opening a channel-shaped guide, each guide 7 consi'sting of telescoping sections having a limited movement away from each other, a transversely curvediblade having outwardly bent edges to'engage Within the guides, said blade and guides having'means for limiting their movement-with-respect to each other, a plate serving as a finger piece secured to the top of the-blade and extending beyond the blade away from the body of the plug freceivingfr'ame, said plate having a depending spike for impaling the plug during and 'after the cutting, the uppermost jaw being cut-away at the blade to permit inspection ofthe plug duringthe cutting and to facilitate the engagement of the impaling spike.

' LOYD 'ELDEN ASHENFELTER. 

